Miles, 13, has to wait and hope for bone marrow gift

Myles Angel with his mum Cheryl Blackman.

A brave 13-year-old boy from Bedford with sickle cell anaemia is appealing for a bone marrow donor to help a life-saving operation go ahead.

Myles Angel from Brickhill requires a bone marrow match urgently and is asking for potential donors to step forward.

His mother Cheryl Blackman said: “Myles is so brave and I am so proud of him.

“I try to give him the best life I can as a mother and a carer but the uncertainty is hard.

“After fighting for 13 years to make sure my beloved son receives the best care available we are now faced with a brand new battle.

“We are looking for a bone marrow match for him to have a transplant.”

Myles receives regular blood transfusions to help reduce the severity and frequency of the symptoms and up until recently they kept the condition under control.

But the blood transfusions are not now as effective as they have been in previous years, leaving him needing a crucial bone marrow transplant.

Mum Cheryl said: ”Sickle cell is an invisible disease but it’s Britain’s most common genetic condition.

“I am trying to raise awareness of the fact he needs a bone marrow match and trying to get as many people as possible to sign up to the bone marrow register.

“We also need to change the notion it just affects black people, it doesn’t.

“It also affects people from mixed-race families, whites, Asian – it can affect everyone, in fact.”

Sarah Roulstone of Anthony Nolan, the UK’s blood cancer charity and bone marrow register, said: “We need more people to step forward as donors so that we can find matches for people in need of a transplant.

“What many people don’t realise is just how simple it is to be a donor.

“Registering simply involves providing a saliva sample.

“If you are found to be a match for someone like Myles, the donation procedure is usually similar to giving blood.”

For more information on Myles’ appeal visit www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-myles-find-a-match